ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Prime Minister's Office
PM to address Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2022 on 25th August
More than 15,000 students will participate in the grand finale from across 75 centres
Students from over 2900 schools and 2200 Higher Education Institutions will tackle 476 problem statements from across 53 Union Ministries in the finale
Smart India Hackathons have played an important role in inculcating the culture of product innovation, problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking among youth
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will address the Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2022 on 25th August at 8 PM via video conferencing.
It has been the constant endeavour of the Prime Minister to promote a spirit of innovation in the country, especially among the youth. With this vision in mind, Smart India Hackathon  was started in the year 2017. SIH is a nationwide initiative to provide students a platform to solve the pressing problems of society, organizations, and government. It aims to inculcate the culture of product innovation, problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking among students.
The growing popularity of SIH can be gauged from the fact that the number of teams registered for SIH has seen a four-fold growth from around 7500 in the first edition to about 29,600 in the ongoing fifth edition. This year more than 15,000 students and mentors are travelling to the 75 nodal centres to take part in the SIH 2022 grand finale. Students from over 2900 schools and 2200 Higher Education Institutions will tackle 476 problem statements from across 53 Union Ministries in the finale, including Optical Character Recognition  of Temple inscriptions and translations in Devanagari Scripts, IoT-enabled risk monitoring system in Cold Supply Chain for perishable food items, High-resolution 3D model of terrain, infrastructure and roads conditions in disaster struck areas, etc.
This year, Smart India Hackathon - Junior has also been introduced as a pilot for school students to build a culture of innovation and develop problem-solving attitude at the school level.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Ground Water Level in Urban Areas
Central Ground Water Board  is periodically monitoring the ground water levels throughout the country including urban areas on a regional scale, through a network of monitoring wells. During November 2020, the depth to water level in the urban areas of the country ranged from less than 2.0 metres below ground level  to more than 40.00 mbgl. Further, in a major part of the urban areas of the country, the water level is in the range of 2.0 mbgl to 10.00 mbgl. In addition, deeper ground water level  has also been observed in few urban areas. State-wise details in this regard are given in Annexure I.
In order to assess the annual change in water level, the data collected by CGWB in urban areas during November 2020 has been compared with the November 2019. Analysis of water level data indicates that about 51% of the wells monitored have registered decline in ground water levels, mostly in the range of 0.0 – 2.0 metre. Decline of more than 4.0 metre has also been observed in some of the cities. Further, rise in groundwater levels have also been observed in 48.6 % analysed wells out of which 39 % of the wells have registered rise in groundwater levels in the range of 0.0-2.0 metre. The comparative details in this regard are given in the Annexure II.
This information was given by the Minister of state for Jal Shakti & Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles demise of Gujarati poet Dadudan Gadhvi
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has condoled the demise of famous Gujarati language poet Padma Shri Dadudan Gadhvi.
In a tweet Shri Modi said Kavi Dad Bapu's contribution in the field of folk literature will always be remembered. "May God grant peace to the departed soul" said the Prime Minister.
Ministry of Defence
DRDO’s Short Span Bridging System-10 m inducted into Indian Army
The first production lot of 12 Short Span Bridging System -10 m, designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation , has been inducted into Indian Army by Chief of the Army Staff General MM Naravane during a ceremony held at Cariappa Parade Ground, Delhi Cantt. on July 02, 2021. Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy was present on the occasion.
The SSBS-10 m plays a crucial role of bridging the gaps up to 9.5 m as a single span providing a 4 m wide, fully decked roadway, ensuring faster movement of the troops. Research & Development Establishment  Pune, a premier engineering laboratory of DRDO, has designed and developed the system in association with M/s L&T Ltd. The 12 bridges are part of 102 SSBS-10 m from M/s L&T Ltd, which is the production agency.
The Project Short Span Bridging System involved the development of two prototypes of 5 m SSBS on Tatra 6x6 chassis and another two prototypes of 10 m SSBS on Tatra 8x8 re-engineered chassis. Both the systems have undergone rigorous Directorate General of Quality Assurance , MET and User trials and after successful completion of all the trials, the systems were recommended for induction into the services. This bridging system is compatible with Sarvatra Bridging System , where the last span requires covering gaps less than 9.5 m. The deployed bridge is of the load classification of MLC 70. The system will help in quick movement of troops and enhance the mobilization of resources.
The DRDO has vast experience in developing critical Combat Engineering Systems like Military Bridging Systems. Number of mechanised mobility solutions for the Indian Army like Single Span 5 m and 10 m, Short Span Bridging System, 46 m Modular Bridge, 20 m BLT-T72 and multi span 75 m Sarvatra Bridging System etc. have been developed. Manually launched 34.5 m Mountain Foot Bridge was also developed by DRDO earlier. These bridges have been widely accepted by the Indian Army.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, Indian Army and the Industry on the successful development and induction of the system. He stated that this induction will give a boost to the fast-growing Indian defence industrial ecosystem and help the industry to contribute towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the teams involved in the successful development and induction of this bridging system into the Indian Army.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
108.47 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
11,451 new cases in the last 24 hours
Recovery Rate currently at 98.24%; Highest since March 2020
13,204 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to 3,37,63,104
Active cases account for less than 1% of total cases, currently at 0.42%; Lowest since March 2020
India's Active caseload stands at 1,42,826; lowest in 262 days
Daily positivity rate  less than 2% for last 35 days
Weekly Positivity Rate  less than 2% for last 45 days
61.60 cr Total Tests conducted so far
President's Secretariat
President of India’s Message on the Eve of World Tuberculosis Day
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, in his message on the eve of World Tuberculosis Day, which is observed every year on March 24, has said:-
“I am happy to note that World Tuberculosis Day is observed every year on 24th March, to commemorate the anniversary of Dr. Robert Koch’s discovery of the Tuberculosis  bacteria in 1882.
The theme of World Tuberculosis Day this year is “It’s Time”. Consistent with the spirit of this theme, India has renewed its commitments and intentions to end TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global targets. This is an ambitious timeline and, given our motivation to eliminate the disease, it is achievable.
I urge all stakeholders to come together to achieve a TB free India. Let us re-dedicate ourselves towards achieving this goal”.
President’s Message in Hindi
Ministry of Power
India and Maldives to establish transmission interconnection for renewable power transfer
Union Power Minister meets Maldives Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology
Union Minister for Power and New and renewable Energy Shri R. K. Singh met Ms Aminath Shauna, Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Republic of Maldives here today.
Shri Singh appreciated the resolve of Government of Maldives to achieve the net zero emission target by 2030. During the meeting, both leaders proposed two Memoranda of understanding –one on Energy cooperation and another on transmission interconnection under One Sun, One World, One Grid . To facilitate Maldives' energy transition programme, India and Maldives have proposed to establish transmission interconnection for renewable power transfer as part of One Sun, One World & One Grid initiative.
A draft agreement is being prepared for MoU on transmission interconnection under which a technical team from India would visit Maldives to assess its technical feasibility. Thereafter a Detailed Project Report  would be prepared jointly with Indian and Maldives Agencies including undersea cable route survey and network augmentation in Male.
Ministry of Earth Sciences
Isolated extremely heavy falls are very likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during next 48hours
Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy falls very likely over north Konkan on 03rd & 04th July; Gujarat region on 04th & 05th July and over Madhya Maharashtra on 04th July
Isolated heavy to very heavy falls is also very likely over Coastal Karnataka during 02nd-04th July and over Saurashtra & Kutch during 04th-06th July
Subdued rainfall activity over Western Himalayan Region and adjoining northwest India very likely to continue during next 2 days and its distribution & intensity very likely to increase thereafter
The National Weather Forecasting Centre/Regional Meteorological Centre, New Delhi of the India Meteorological Department  has said:
♦ A cyclonic circulation lies over south Gujarat & neighbourhood in lower & mid tropospheric levels and another cyclonic circulation liesover East Uttar Pradesh & neighbourhood in lower tropospheric levels. High convergence of strong moist westerly/southwesterlywinds at lower tropospheric levels from the Arabian sea very likely along west coast till 06th July and over plains of northwestIndia & central India from 03rd July, 2020. Under its influence, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity with:
- Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy falls is very likely over north Konkan on 03rd & 04th July; Gujarat region on 04th &05th July and over Madhya Maharashtra on 04th July.
- Isolated heavy to very heavy falls is also very likely over Coastal Karnataka during 02nd-04th July and over Saurashtra & Kutch during 04th-06th July.
♦ Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls most likely over Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and East Uttar Pradeshduring next 5 days.
♦ Northeast India and East India very likely to continue to receive fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavyfalls during next 5 days. Isolated extremely heavy falls are very likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during next 48
hours.
♦ Subdued rainfall activity over Western Himalayan Region and adjoining northwest India very likely to continue during next 2 days andits distribution & intensity very likely to increase thereafter.
♦ The monsoon trough at mean sea level continues to pass through Ganganagar, Narnaul, Aligarh,Sultanpur, Patna, Raiganj, Shillong and Imphal.
For details of All India Weather Warning  Dated 02-07-2020, pl see the link here.

Kindly visit www.imd.gov.in for updates.
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Customs duty on Remdesivir waived off - Shri D. V.Sadananda Gowda
Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilizers Shri D. V. Sadanand Gowda informed via Twitter that considering the immediate requirement on the recommendation of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, the Department of Revenue has waived customs duty on Remdesivir and its API/KSM. This step will further augment domestic availability of Remdesivir injection, he added.
Ministry of Science & Technology
DBT-NIBMG creates world’s first database of genomic variants of oral cancer
DBT-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics , Kalyani an Autonomous Institute funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India has created a database of genomic variations in oral cancer; the first of its kind in the world. NIBMG has made this database publicly-accessible.
dbGENVOC is a browsable online database of GENomic Variants of Oral Cancer and is a free resource. First release of dbGENVOC contains  ~24 million somatic and germline variants derived from whole exome sequences of 100 Indian oral cancer patients and whole genome sequences of 5 oral cancer patients from India,  somatic variation data from 220 patient samples drawn from the USA and analyzed by TCGA-HNSCC project and  manually curated variation data of 118 patients from recently published peer-reviewed publications. Variants were identified by the community approved best practice protocol and annotated using multiple analytic pipeline.
dbGENVOC is not just a catalogue of genomic variants, it has a built-in powerful search engine. It also allows a reasonable extent of statistical and bioinformatic analysis to be carried out online, including identifying variants in associated altered pathways in oral cancer.
The repository, which will be updated annually with variation data from new oral cancer patients from different regions of India and southeast Asia, has the potential to support advances in oral cancer research and will be a major step in moving forward from simply cataloguing variants to gain insight into their significance.
Oral cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer among men in India, largely fuelled by tobacco-chewing. Tobacco-chewing causes changes in the genetic material of cells in the oral cavity. These changes  precipitate oral cancer. Research to identify those genetic mutations that drive oral cancer are ongoing. Such driver mutations may be variable across populations
The URL for the database, dbGENVOC, is: http://research.nibmg.ac.in/dbcares/dbgenvoc/
Details can be found in:
Pradhan, S., Das, S., Singh, A.K. et al. dbGENVOC: database of GENomic Variants of Oral Cancer, with special reference to India. Database  Vol. 2021: article ID baab034; doi:10.1093/database/baab034
About DBT
The Department of Biotechnology , Ministry of Science and Technology, boosts and augments the development of the biotechnology ecosystem in India through its expansion and application in agriculture, healthcare, animal sciences, environment, and industry.
About NIBMG
The National Institute of Biomedical Genomics  has been established as an autonomous institution by the Government of India, under the aegis of the Department of Biotechnology. This is the first institution in India explicitly devoted to research, training, translation & service and capacity-building in Biomedical Genomics. It is located in Kalyani, West Bengal, India, near Kolkata.
SS/RKP
(Visitor Counter : 3290
Cabinet
Cabinet approves creation of two posts equivalent to Joint Secretary level in the Interpreters' cadre of the Ministry of External Affairs
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the creation of two posts equivalent to Joint Secretary level in the Interpreters' cadre of the Ministry of External Affairs.
The decision will help in augmenting expertise of the Interpreters' cadre and help meet the specialized requirements for training of the Interpreters.
This measure would be important in addressing the increasing requirements for interpretation in the backdrop of significantly enhanced high-level bilateral and multilateral engagements of the Government of India globally.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID - 19 Vaccination Update - Day 578
India’s cumulative vaccination coverage crosses 208.53 Crore
More than 22 lakh Vaccine doses administered today till 7 pm
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 208.53 Crore  today. More than 22 lakh  Vaccine Doses have been administered till 7 pm today. The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late tonight.
The cumulative coverage of vaccine doses, segregated based on population priority groups, is as follows:
|
|
Cumulative Vaccine Dose Coverage
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
10413202
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
10099368
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
6575011
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
18433019
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
17686290
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
12777685
|
|
Age Group 12-14 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
39799472
|
|
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
29232289
|
|
Age Group 15-18 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
61486201
|
|
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
51801435
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
560092008
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
511180332
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
43161134
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
203805779
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
195854140
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
26130281
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
127520092
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
122410650
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
36928956
|
|
Cumulative 1st dose administered
|
|
1021549773
|
|
Cumulative 2nd dose administered
|
|
938264504
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
125573067
|
|
Total
|
|
2085387344
Today’s achievement in the vaccination exercise, segregated by population priority groups, is as follows:
|
|
Date: 16th August, 2022 
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
111
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
370
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
10716
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
82
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
984
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
25797
|
|
Age Group 12-14 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
24496
|
|
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
52088
|
|
Age Group 15-18 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
11420
|
|
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
25297
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
25838
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
99637
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
1104281
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
4938
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
22576
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
570649
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
3218
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
14358
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
217537
|
|
Cumulative 1st dose administered
|
|
70103
|
|
Cumulative 2nd dose administered
|
|
215310
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
1928980
|
|
Total
|
|
2214393
The vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level.
Department of Space
Status of Gaganyaan Project
Gaganyaan project is approved by Government of India and is operating under a newly formed Centre, Human Space Flight Centre . Gaganyaan Project team is identified and appropriate management system is in place. The design activities are progressing for the targeted manned flight in December 2021.
In order to meet the stringent schedule, help is being sought from Russia and France for human centric systems, where ISRO would gain experience.
The specific areas for collaboration have been identified wherein Russia and France could help in meeting the Gaganyaan schedule. Discussions are in advanced stage with Russia in the areas of environmental control and life support system and part of the crew selection and training. With France, discussions are proceeding with respect to training of Flight surgeons and long term activities on bioastronautics, combined development and experiments in space medicine area.
This information was provided by the Union Minister of State  Development of North-Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Special Service and Features
Cyber security and indigenous innovations are the need of the hour for self-reliant India: Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and Chairman of the Society of Electronic Transactions and Security- SETS has stressed that cyber security is the need of the hour and that SETS must rise to meet the challenges of ransomware attacks and security breaches and focus on both research and education.
While delivering the presidential address in Chennai today on the occasion of the 21st Foundation Day of SETS, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood insisted that the organisation must achieve supremacy through indigenous innovations, as it is necessary for staying one step ahead of competitors. This should be its central focus for self-reliant India, he added. He elaborated in detail on how technology acts as a double edged sword that could be misused.
Prof. Vijay Raghavan, former Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and former President of SETS, explained how a small institution can attain greater value and stated five factors: a select portfolio of problems, quality employees, development of state of art hardware and software, collaboration with academia and collaboration with the industry. He said that SETS should make use of the opportunities and resources available.
Dr. N Sarat Chandra Babu, Executive Director, SETS, Proof V.S Subramanian, Northwestern University, USA, Shri. N. Sitaram, former DS&CC, DRDO and Chairman Governing Council, SETS, Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Adviser, Dr. D. Lakshmanan, Chief Administrative and Accounts Officer, SETS also participated in the event.
Later, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood launched a technology called Quantum Random Number Generator, manufactured by SETS. He also presented mementos to the staff who performed well. Prof. Ajay Kumar then inspected the technical equipment and laboratories located on the SETS campus.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Tree cover loss due to Road Projects
As a policy barest minimum number of trees are felled in marginal strip of land for implementation of the National Highways Projects. Many times, Right of Way  is reduced to ensure that bare minimum number of trees are felled. No major impact on Environment has been reported so far, due to National Highways Projects. There might be marginal positive impact on environment as more trees are planted in lieu of felled trees. The ministry has also taken a decision to utilize technology and expertise to transplant tree in place of telling them. This work is in progress.
Trees planted are many more in lieu of the trees felled. Additionally, avenue plantation and median plantation are included in highway projects depending upon availability of ROW and cross-sectional configuration.
This information was given by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Prime Minister's Office
Ganga Pushkarala Yatra in Bharat Gaurav Tourist Trains will boost spiritual tourism: PM
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has said that the "Ganga Pushkarala Yatra," by Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train, flagged off from Secunderabad Railway Station, Telangana traversing across the revered cities of Puri, Kashi & Ayodhya will boost spiritual tourism in the country.
The Prime Minister tweeted :
"Started a few days ago, this will surely boost spiritual tourism."